The Technion – Israel Institute of Technology (Hebrew: הטכניון – מכון טכנולוגי לישראל‎) is a publicresearch university in Haifa, Israel. Established in 1912, the Technion is the oldest university in Israel.[1] The university offers degrees in science and engineering, and related fields such as architecture, medicine, industrial management and education. It has 18 academic faculties, 60 research centers and 12 affiliated teaching hospitals. Since its founding, it has awarded more than 100,000 degrees[2] and its graduates are cited for providing the skills and education behind the creation and protection of the State of Israel.[3][4]

The university's principal language of instruction is Hebrew. Choosing the language of instruction was the subject of a national debate that became an important milestone in the consolidation of Hebrew as the spoken language in the State of Israel.[5]

The Technion was conceived in the early 1900s by the German-Jewish fund Ezrah as a school of engineering and sciences. It was to be the only institution of higher learning in the then Ottoman Palestine, other than the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem (founded in 1907). Its cornerstone was laid in 1912, and studies began 12 years later in 1924. The Technion witnessed Israel's "battle of the languages": an intense debate over the language of instruction.

In 1923 Albert Einstein visited and planted the now-famous first palm tree, as an initiative of Nobel tradition. The first palm tree still stands today in front of the old Technion building in Hadar. Einstein founded the first Technion Society, and served as its president upon his return to Germany.

Technion City generally refers to the 1.2-square-kilometer site located on the pine-covered north-eastern slopes of Mount Carmel. The campus comprises 100 buildings, occupied by thousands of people every day.

Recreational activities on the main campus include an olympic-size swimming pool as well as gymnastics, squash and tennis facilities.[9] The Technion Symphony Orchestra and Choir are composed mainly of Technion students and staff. Each term, the Orchestra offers a series of daytime and evening concerts. Films and live performances by leading Israeli artists take place on campus on a regular basis.

Technion's Division of Continuing Education and External Studies has been operating in the Tel Aviv area since 1958. In July 2013, the Technion moved to a new campus in Sarona. The Technion satellite campus in Sarona includes three buildings in a 1,800 sq. meter area, with a total of 16 modern classrooms.[10] Among the programs that study at Sarona are the Technion's International MBA program, which includes students from around the world and guest lecturers from universities such as London Business School, Columbia University, and INSEAD.[11]

On 19 December 2011, a bid by a consortium of Cornell University and Technion won a competition to establish a new high-tier applied science and engineering institution in New York City. The competition was established by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg in order to increase entrepreneurship and job growth in the city's technology sector. The winning bid consisted of a 2,100,000 square feet (200,000 m2) state-of-the-art tech campus being built on Roosevelt Island, which will have its first phase completed by 2017, with a temporary off-site campus opening in 2013 at the Google New York City headquarters building at 111 Eighth Avenue.[12][13] The new 'School of Genius' in New York City has been named the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute.[14]

The collaboration of Technion with Cornell University is increasingly seen as representing a paradigm shift in global education initiatives. Most recently, AOL, the American Internet and media giant, announced an investment of $5 million in a video research project at the Institute.[15] Positive media coverage abounds,[16] as well as some small scale protests from the margins of political and environmental activism.[17]

In September 2013 the Li Ka Shing Foundation and the Technion announced they would be joining forces to create a new institute for technology at Shantou University, Guangdong province, south-eastern China. The Li Ka Shing Foundation pledged a grant of US$130 million for the creation of the institute. The degrees taught, including Batchelors', Masters' and Doctorates, will be accredited by the Technion. The total construction costs are $147 million. Initially the courses will include Civil and Environmental Engineering and Computer Science. By 2020 the institute will start teaching other disciplines from Mechanics to Aerospace Engineering.[18][19][20]

Founded in 1954, the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering conducts research and education in a wide range of aerospace disciplines. The Aerospace Research Center also consists of the Aerodynamics (wind tunnels) Laboratory, the Aerospace Structures Laboratory, the Combustion and Rocket Propulsion Laboratory, the Turbo and Jet Engine Laboratory, the Flight Control Laboratory and the Design for Manufacturing Laboratory.

The Technion Faculty of Architecture awards BArch degrees awarded after five years of study.[21] Its graduate program in architecture accepts about 15 students each year, and it accepts about 4–5 doctoral students, focusing on subjects such as architectural theory and philosophy, bio-climate and energy conscious design, morphology, computer application, person-environment relations, housing, architectural history, and urban design.[21]

The Faculty of Biology was established in 1971. Advanced research is carried out in 23 research groups, focusing on a variety of aspects of cellular, molecular and developmental biology. The faculty has extensive collaborations with the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. The Faculty has around 350 undergraduate students and over 100 graduate students.[22]

Established in 1968, the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering has a multidiciplinary scope nurturing research activities that blend medical and biological engineering. Research projects have resulted in the development of patented medical aids. Recent research breakthroughs include the identification of a structured neurological code for syllables and could let paraplegics "speak" virtually through the connection of the brain to a computer.[23]

Unique in Israel, the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering offers a blend of courses in engineering, life and natural sciences as well as joint degree programs with the Faculties of Biology and Chemistry. The Faculty houses biotechnology laboratories, as well as a large food processing pilot plant and a packaging laboratory. It currently has 260 undergraduates and 66 graduate students.

In 2002, two of the original Technion Faculties – Civil and Agricultural engineering, were merged to create the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Its state vision is to "maintain and enhance the leading position of the Faculty of Civil & Environmental Engineering amongst the top departments in the world... and to position the Faculty as the national center for research & development and human resources for the sustainable development."[24] The Faculty is the home of Technion's expanding International School of Engineering.

The Wolfson Faculty of Chemical Engineering is Israels oldest and largest faculty in the field, educating the vast majority of chemical engineers in Israel's chemical industries.[22] Research activities include materials, complex fluids, processing, transport and surface phenomena and process control.

The Schulich Faculty of Chemistry offers a variety of joint programs, including with materials engineering, chemical engineering, physics, and food engineering. It also offers a joint degree with the Faculty of Biology leading to a degree in molecular biochemistry. Around 100 research projects at the faculty are sponsored by industry and national and international foundations. It also offers a variety of outreach and youth programs.[25]

Founded in 1969, this is one of the largest Technion faculties, with over 1,000 undergraduate students and 200 graduate students. The Faculty of Computer Science was ranked 15th among 500 universities in computer sciences for 2011 and of 18th of 500 in since 2012.[26] The Faculty is located in the Taub Family Science and Technology Center, following the support of the philanthropist Henry Taub.

Founded in 1965, the Department of Education in Technology & Science trains undergraduates in the most advanced methods of teaching science and technology in schools. The faculty is home to a research and development center in the field. It has over 350 undergraduate students and 100 graduate students.

The Faculty of Electrical Engineering claims to be the major source of engineers who lead the development of advanced Israeli technology in the fields of electronics, computers and communications. Some 2000 undergraduate students study in the department for a BSc degree in electrical engineering / computer engineering / computer and software engineering, and 400 graduate students study for the higher degrees of MSc and PhD The department has extensive relations with industry as well as academic and industrial special liaison support programs.[27]

The Department of Humanities and Arts serves all the Technion community, offering courses taught by renowned visiting and adjunct scholars including philosophy of science, social and political sciences, linguistics, psychology, law and anthropology and a broad array of theoretical and performing arts courses.

The Faculty of Mathematics houses both pure and applied mathematics, and was home to the mathematician Paul Erdős. Founded in 1950, it has around 46 faculty members, 200 undergraduate students and 100 graduate students. It provides instruction for students in all other Technion faculties and organizes mathematics competition for gifted high school students and a summer camp in number theory.

Founded with in 1948 in the same year as the State of Israel, the Technion Faculty of Mechanical Engineering has over 830 students and 215 graduate students. Research is conducted in the faculty's 36 laboratories across the whole spectrum of mechanical engineering, from nano-scale fields through to applied engineering of national projects.[29]

The Faculty of Physics engages in experimental and theoretical research in the fields of astrophysics, high energy physics, solid state physics and biophysics. Founded in 1960, it includes the Einstein Institute of Physics, the Lidow Physics Complex, The Rosen Solid State Building and the Werksman Physics Building.

The Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute (RBNI) was established in January 2005 as a joint endeavour of the Russell Berrie Foundation, the government of Israel, and the Technion. It is one of the largest academic programs in Israel, and is among the largest nanotechnology centers in Europe and the US. RBNI has over 110 faculty members, and approximately 300 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows under its auspices at Technion. Its multidisciplinary activities span 14 different faculties.

The GTEP Nancy and Stephen Grand Technion Energy Program is a multidisciplinary center of excellence bringing together Technion's top researchers in energy science and technology from over nine different faculties.[32] Founded in 2007, GTEP's 4-point strategy targets research and development of alternative fuels; renewable energy sources; energy storage and conversion; and energy conservation. The GTEP is presently the only center in Israel offering graduate studies in energy science and technology.

Technion has an impressive track record in technology transfer. Its dedicated office to bridge the transition of scientific and technological discovery to successfully commercialized innovation has been active since 2007 as T3 – Technion Technology Transfer. As of 2011, 424 patents were granted to Technion innovations, with 845 patents pending. T3's partners include incubators, entrepreneurs, private investors, VCs and angel groups. It has strategic partnerships with Microsoft, IBM, Intel, Philips, Johnson & Johnson, Coca Cola, among others.

The Technion International (TI) is a department in the Technion, offering courses taught entirely in English. The TI began its first year in 2009, and now offers a full BSc in Civil Engineering, BSc in Chemical Engineering as well as various study abroad options, all taught in English. The students arrive from all over the globe – Asia, Africa, North and South America, Europe and Israel. The students live on campus and enjoy trips around Israel and activities throughout the year.

Technion offers many after-school and summer enrichment courses for young people on subjects ranging from introductory electronics and computer programming to aerospace, architecture, biology, chemistry and physics. Two examples are Scitech[33] and the Math Summer Camp, devoted to number theory.[34]

Technion recently set up and orchestrated the Israeli chapter of Engineers Without Borders,[35] which among other projects, installed a network of biogas systems in rural Nepal providing sustainable energy and improved sanitation.[36]

In 2012, the Shanghai Academic Ranking rated the Technion as 78th in its list of the top 100 universities in the world.[37] Also in 2012, the magazine Business Insider ranked Technion among the top 25 engineering schools in the world.[38][39]

In 2012, the Center for World University Rankings ranked Technion 51st in the world and third in Israel in its CWUR World University Rankings.[40]

For national rankings in 2011, Technion was ranked the No. 2 of universities in Israel by ARWU. In global rankings for that year, Technion was ranked #102–150 by ARWU, No. 220 by QS,.[41]

In 1998, Technion successfully launched the "Gurwin TechSat II" microsatellite, making Technion one of five universities with a student program that designs, builds, and launches its own satellite. The satellite stayed in orbit until 2010[45]

Technion graduates have been estimated to constitute over 70 percent of the founders and managers of high-tech businesses in Israel. 80 percent of Israeli NASDAQ companies were founded and/or are led by Technion graduates, and 74 percent of managers in Israel's electronic industries hold Technion degrees.[48] In the book, Technion Nation, Shlomo Maital, Amnon Frenkel and Ilana Debare document the contribution of Technion alumni in building the modern State of Israel.

Yossi Vardi – For over 40 years he has founded and helped build over 60 high-tech companies in a variety of fields, among them software, energy, Internet, mobile, electro-optics and water technology.[50]